Motor Skills and Social Impairments in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the Japanese version of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ-J) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in Japanese children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The participants were 19 children with ASD. The DCDQ-J is a parent questionnaire that can assess the degree of motor skill impairments, and the SRS assesses the severity of social impairments. To check the criterion-related validity of the DCDQ-J in children with ASD, the Japanese version of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC2-J) was also conducted. The total score of the DCDQ-J was significantly negatively correlated with the SRS score in the same way as the MABC2-J total score. These results indicate that the severity of social impairments in children with ASD is related not only to the child’s fundamental motor abilities but also to practical motor skills in everyday life.